Honours for Fort William First Nation Chief Georjann Morriseau

THUNDER BAY, ON – Fort William First Nation Chief Georjann Morriseau has been honoured with the Premier’s Award.

Confederation College is proud to announce that Chief Georjann Morriseau, graduate of the Aboriginal Law and Advocacy program (2009), has won a provincial Premier’s Award.

This prestigious award recognizes the tremendous contributions Ontario’s college graduates make to the success of the province and beyond. The awards gala in which Chief Morriseau was announced as a winner took place on Monday, November 24, 2014 in Toronto. This year, there were a total of 114 nominees across six categories from Ontario’s 24 colleges.

Chief Morriseau was selected as one of two award recipients in the Recent Graduate category.

“When I first met Chief Georjann Morriseau, I was immediately struck by her ‘wisdom beyond her years’ and her incredible spirit,” said Jim Madder, President of Confederation College. “In her dealings with other people, she comes from a place of understanding with the positive attitude that anything can be achieved if one sets their mind to it. She really has vision. We are very proud to have witnessed Chief Morriseau’s growth since graduating from the College.”

Recognized by her professors as someone with admirable ties to the community and a strong desire to create positive social change, Chief Morriseau has risen to her newer role of Chief of Fort William First Nation, an accomplishment that is particularly impressive at such a young age. She was just 28 years old when she was elected to the community’s highest position.

Representing First Nations at the community, regional and national levels, Chief Morriseau strives to maintain a dialogue with organizations, municipalities and communities throughout Canada. She was instrumental in formalizing the Governance Development Network used for strategic planning in Ontario First Nation communities, and is leading her First Nation towards self-sustainability. She has received numerous awards in recognition of her incredible professionalism, diplomacy and leadership including two Confederation College President’s Awards (2013 and 2014).

Chief Morriseau credits her college education with giving her the tools and confidence she needed to become a more effective advocate.

“Going to Confederation College was the best thing that ever happened to me. It expanded my world view in terms of the historical context of being a First Nation person in Canada. I started learning more about our governance and our traditional core values. I knew all these, I had it inside me, but I never would have been able to articulate it without going to college.”

Confederation College applauds Chief Georjann Morriseau for being such an important role model for youth and congratulates her for receiving this well-deserved award!

Confederation College is also proud of its other 2014 Premier’s Award nominees:

* Robert Kucheran, International Business, Business Category
* Lori Hygaard, Practical Nursing Program, Health Sciences Category
* Trent Opaloch, Film Production, Creative Arts and Design Category

Since the awards’ inception in 1992, Confederation College has been honoured to share in a total of seven Premier’s Awards earned by its Alumni. Past recipients include:

2013 – Ramesh Ferris, Social Service Worker, Community Service Category
2008 – Andrew Moorey, Entrepreneurship, Business Category
2004 – Major Doug Clements, Aviation Flight Management, Technology Category
1994 – Gino Sonego, Architectural (Design) Technician, Technology Category
1993 – Bradley C. A. Greaves, Aviation (Flight) Management, Technology Category
1992 – Mae V. Katt, Diploma Nursing, Health Sciences Category